Drabblelicious
by kyaru-chan
Summary: Just some drabbles, mostly SasuNaru centric, on a wide variety of topics. SasuNaru
1. Rain

And I return once more! This time, it's a surprise pairing with Sasuke in it. Hmm, I wonder who it could be! Read on and find out! Muahahaha!

To the readers of The Shackled Stallion….I am so super sorry for not updating that…I'll get right on it, I promise…um, once my lazy plot bunnies bring me something to work with…um…help is appreciated.

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

Rain

- - - - - - - - -

Sasuke opened a bleary eye, wondering what had woken up. He lay still for a while, listening to the drumming of the rain on the rooftop and the sharp whistling of the wind. The storm. Was that what had woken him up?

No.

His bedmate was shivering, the tremors wracking his body. The brunette glared half-heartedly at the pathetic-looking form. A gust of wind caught his attention, and his transferred his glare to the open window.

They were experiencing the peak of summer, the sun an unforgiving flamethrower in the sky and the streets shimmering in the heat. The nights were no better. The air was flat and still, with the quiet sizzle of crickets too tired to chirp. His lover had taken to sleeping half-naked, sometimes completely in the buff, throwing his boxers at the opposite wall with a frustrated "To hell with this!" He was also the one who opened their windows in a fool's hope that a breeze might just be enticed into their room.

But tonight, he had warned him that there was going to be a storm, and as usual the idiot ignored him, throwing the shutters open and stripping as he made his way to bed. And now, here he was, shivering so much that the bed shook, while the storm blew icy gusts of air into their room.

Who had to fix the problem? No one else but the now-awake Uchiha Sasuke, that's who.

He closed the window and locked it for good measure, but he couldn't take his eyes from the inky darkness. How many times had he stood like this, forehead against the cool glass, staring out into the night while the rain pattered, echoing in his soul? Always, he thought of the same thing, wondering whether it was better to die, to give in to that welcoming darkness and to be free of his mock-existence. The monotonous rhythm the he had put up with, a life that was composed of endless days and nights, full of people who looked at him with unseeing eyes and saw only the outside, saw only the all-important Uchiha name and the red of his Sharingan and what he had made himself to be, the merciless, aloof avenger. They never knew, no one did, about the nights he spent in his cold, empty room with his hand over his chest, wishing that his life would just end, that someone would break the wall of impenetrable ice he had put up around his heart…

"…'suke…"

The sound of his name mumbled in a sleepy, yet needy voice broke his trance. Blinking the bygone shadows away, he looked back at the shivering lump and went back to bed, snagging the fallen blanket on the way. He settled back onto the pillows and his lover instantly turned to him, as it instinctively seeking his presence. Small hands caught at his shirt as a face burrowed into his chest, and he idly wondered why the idiot had finally stopped shaking. Shrugging, he pulled the blanket over the bare shoulders anyway.

A hand disentangled long enough to push the blanket off before returning to clutch at his body, Long legs pushed insistently between his and soon he was entangled within slender limbs. He sighed and reached over the naked back to grab the blanket again, this time pulling it over both of them. "It'll keep you warm, baka." He said, the gruffness of his voice contradicted by his gentle caress over the other's chin.

"Don't need it…I like this better…" came the drowsy reply, muffled by his shirt as the idiot pushed closer to press a soft kiss on his chest. "You keep me warm better than anything else…"

Sasuke smiled, burying his face in blond hair and pulling the lithe form as close as it could get in a clumsy parody of a hug. The ice of the past had given way long ago to this perpetual sunshine.

"You keep me warm too…Naruto."

- - - - - Author's Notes - - - - -

Surprise, surprise! Wasn't that a complete shock? A SasuNaru (cue the gasps)

(hits herself) like I'd write anything else. I'm hopeless.

Hope you all liked it!


	2. Lollipop

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

Lollipop

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The blond cast a bemused look at his lollipop, at a complete loss. He'd already been chewed out by Tsunade-baba for bringing his cup ramen inside her office. He didn't want to go through that three-hour hell again.

His problem was that this was his favorite flavor, made by his absolute favorite candy factory and it was huge, half the size of his fist. He'd been happily savoring it for an hour already and it was _still_ the same size. It probably had a good half-day in it. Throw in the fact that he rarely ever _had _this yummy treat because it was never in the stores, and that clinched it. He didn't want to throw his prize away just because the evil woman said so.

And therefore, the solution was to find someone to hold it. It had to be someone he super trusted, someone who wouldn't finished the sugary goodness of his super special lollipop, and who wouldn't throw it away unless they wanted to face a very angry and sugar-deprived Naruto.

He walked looked over to the large office down below, quietly contemplating while tapping the sticky green candy against his lips. Who could it be…?

Not Shikamaru, he thought as he saw the spiky haired jounin walk past. He'd say it was too troublesome and throw it away, and _then_ he'd be too hard to beat because he thought too much and that wouldn't do because it wouldn't get his lollipop back _and_ get him tired.

Not Kiba. He'd throw it away too, just so he could piss him off.

Not Chouji. No way.

Not Gaara. He'd throw his yummyness away just so he _would_ face an angry and sugar-deprived Naruto and he'd just end up tired and beaten up, not like he wouldn't beat Gaara up too, but that was the point, they'd both be beaten up and tired and grouchy and he _still_ wouldn't have his lollipop.

Not Neji. If he gave it to Neji, then Neji would throw it away, and then he would get angry at Neji, then he wouldn't be fighting Neji, he'd be fighting Gaara, and it'd end up the same as if he'd given his lollipop to Gaara instead of Neji, and he'd never give his lollipop to Gaara because…

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar figure, and he turned around completely. The figure passed him, engrossed in a report. He grinned.

"Oi, Sasuke!"

The brunette stopped then turned slowly, eyes rising from the paper and mouth opening to from the words "Wha--"

There was a blur of speed as something was shoved into his mouth, and then the blond kissed him happily on the corner of his mouth before moving towards an opened door. He paused, looked over his shoulder and shot him a smile. "Hold it for me, 'kay?"

He disappeared. His dazed lover was left standing in the hallway, the warm, sweet taste of apple and Naruto in his mouth.

- - - - - Author's Notes - - - - -

Not up to par with my other stories, but I thought it was cute and wanted to post it as soon as possible. It's hurriedly written, as I don't have enough time, so it doesn't flow the way it's supposed to.


	3. Chocolate

MultifacetedTune: I was thinking of this just this morning, but anyway…request granted!

ThyLaSlain: Lollipop…Naru-chan…Sasuke…Lollipop…(blinkblinkblink…stuffs the Plot Bunny of SuperUncontrollableLust in a desk drawer) my gods…I hadn't even thought of that…I worship you…

This might not be the time to say this, 'coz I know you're all antsing for the fic, but I'll just take this time to say that any suggestions/challenges/whatever that you want me to write, just tell me about it. I can do most anything, but I'm just running out of inspiration and inclination since all I can think about is making them shag silly in pick-the-room-of-your-choice, which I know you guys won't mind, and actually demand on occasion, but I want some fluff. Don't want people looking at me and going: Is porn _all_ you think about? (pounces on her older cousin) So anyway, yeah… Hey, come on people, author of your dreams here, this time you can actually _tell_ me what to write about. Opportunity!

(because she can't help herself…porn freak right here) Bits about shagging will be considered if carefully worded and specific.

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

Chocolate

Two heads, one blond, one brunette, were bent busily over a tableful of scrolls, poring over them studiously. It would have been believable if it weren't for the fact that the blond was absently doodling instead of taking notes, and was munching on a chocolate bar.

Sasuke rubbed his forehead as he looked at the crabbed writing. Did all the ancients have to write so damn illegibly? This was worse than Naruto's chicken-scratch excuse for writing!

He heard the blond take another bite and he reached out without looking, pushing the mouth closed before returning to the scroll.

The blond stuck his tongue out at him and looked down at the upside-down scroll. "Aren't we done here yet?"

"We've only been here for three hours." His partner said, reaching for a new piece of paper. There was a thick sheaf of papers beside him already, all covered in his painstakingly neat script.

"Only you can say 'only' after the words 'three hours'." He grumbled. "I'm hungry!"

"You've been eating candy non-stop since we got here. You'll keep me up all night again with your sugar rush."

The blond purred and pushed his nose into the soft dark hair. "You're complaining?"

He had to stifle a chuckle and gently brushed his fingers over the whiskered cheek in response.

His lover sat back and stretched. "I don't see what's so interesting about a bunch of mist-based jutsus anyway."

"Defense, makes it easier for stealthy attacks, some of these are like Haku's and turns the mist into invisible weapons, easily disguises the smell and feel of poison, can gather in compress if thick enough, can suffocate, can-"

"Alright, alright already!"

They left again after another four hours, because Naruto couldn't shut his stomach up anymore. It was nearly dusk and people were already going home. They headed for Ichiraku's, with Sasuke leafing through his notes and the blond munching on his nth chocolate bar.

The brunette looked up when he spied the welcoming lights of the restaurant. He turned to his partner to ask him is he wanted take-out and had to muffle his laugh. The blond noticed and raised an eyebrow, and that made him want to laugh even more.

"You…you've got some chocolate on your…here let me get it…" He smiled and reached forward, fingers grazing over the corner of petal-soft lips before drawing back with chocolate-stained fingertips. Then he slid them in his own mouth and sucked it off unthinkingly.

Naruto grinned. "Cute, Sasuke."

They had dinner, with the brunette mulling over that incident. Was it so unusual? It wasn't like he wasn't affectionate with the blond. They were actually quite comfortable with each other, and touched frequently. But he never knew what the difference was between his type of affection and Naruto's. There _was _a difference, no doubt about it, since Sasuke was more reserved, and Naruto was more outgoing but…was the blond satisfied with that? Maybe he wanted a more open lover…

"You've got dessert on your chin, Sasuke."

"Huh?" He looked up from his chocolate pudding to the smiling, open face.

"On your chin." The blond said, gesturing to his own.

He tried, ineffectually, to remove it, but failed.

Then Naruto moved forward and he felt a warm, wet tongue rasp over his skin, gently licking it all off. His lover drew back a bit. "Don't think about unnecessary things, stupid."

And then he was kissed, a long, sweet, gentle kiss, with the feel of gently whispered words lingering on his lips.

"All I need is you."


	4. Dinner

This was based off a laundry detergent ad I saw on tv today. Of course, it isn't so…blatantly sexual. I'll get to the point at the bottom.

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

Dinner

- -

"Naruto! Where are you?"

"Kitchen!" He yelled back, fanning the smoke away from his face.

"You almost done?" Sasuke entered the room, straightening the cuffs of his polo shirt. He approached the busily moving blond, careful not to get in the way of the arms grabbing a pinch of whatever was in the small bowls scattered on the counter, or fishing out a bottle of unidentifiable sauce form the depths of the cupboard.

"Mhmm…just a little more. What time is it?" He moved to make space for his lover.

"Nearly seven-thirty." The brunette dropped a kiss onto the blond hair. Gesturing to the plain black muscle shirt and jeans, he said, "Is that what you're wearing?"

"Yup. I specialize in undercover missions anyway, so it should be fine." Biting his lip, he held up a spoon to the ANBU's lips. "Taste."

He did as instructed. "Good. Steak sauce?"

"Yeah."

"It's great. Do I get a taste?"

"You just did."

The blond was whirled around and pressed against a hard body. "I meant of you."

"You horny pervert." He put his arms around his lover's neck and smiled, brushing his lips against his. "More later."

"Spoilsport." The brunette let him turn around and gently pressed his wet lips against his neck. "Be careful, you might start smelling like dinner."

"What, something you have every night?" he teased.

"I don't have it every night."

"Yes you do." The blond said, hitting him on the arm. "Every morning too, and sometimes in the afternoon."

Sasuke bit the rim of his ear and tugged. "Are you complaining?"

"Never."

The doorbell rang and he detached himself reluctantly.

The house was filled quickly, all the ambassadors from the different villages and their aides, the heads of the hidden villages including Tsunade, and Sasuke was kept busy entertaining. Finally, they filed into the dining room just as the blond finished setting the last platter.

"This looks amazing!" The Fifth Hokage exclaimed, her eyes sweeping over the varied dishes. "It smells heavenly. A job well done, Naruto"

The blond smiled in thanks and then felt Sasuke put his arms around his waist. His lover buried his nose in the slender column of his throat, regardless of the crowd, and inhaled deeply.

"You smell better," he whispered softly. "I'm starving for you."

They sat down at the table, discussing all the little things needed to keep the peace, and Naruto never took his eyes from his lover's devilish smile, his heated gaze spanning the length of the table. Much, much later, he realized that no one had commented on the very obvious sexual tension.

The night felt extremely long for the both of them. Then, when the last guest had left, Sasuke took him upstairs and had his dinner.

- - - -Author's Notes- - - -

I can never end these things properly…how anti-climatic…

Anyway, the point was that though Naruto cooked so much, he still smelled like he just got out of the bath, and not like 'dinner'. I don't know if I put that across properly…whatever…


	5. A Normal Day

To the people who gave me challenges, I LOVE you, and I'll get on them right away. Fear me, Author Who Actually Does What You Tell Her To!

This was to be believable, but I got too carried away by the mushiness of the situation…(grumbles at self)

Just so you know, for the whole of Drabble-licious and Drabble-licious only, their stations are: Sasuke, Gaara, and Kakashi as advisors to the Hokage, with Sasuke doubling as an ANBU captain with Hinata, Hinata, Kiba, Chouji and Shino, Neji, Lee, Sakura and Ino are teachers at the Academy, and Naruto and Shika do whatever they want. Coz you might be mixed up with the two jounins who dress up in kinky leather and go to bars. Yeah. I posted there anyway, so everyone go rush and look. I'll wait right here.

…

…

You done? Good. Right, on we go…

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

A Normal Day

- -

SasuNaru

- -

"Hey there, housewife."

"It's four in the morning. It's too early to piss me off."

"But you look so cute, slaving away over that hot stove for me."

A one-eyes glare was aimed at the gleeful blond lounging against the doorframe. ""If you keep that up, I won't be responsible for the actions of this knife."

He could hear the grin in his lover's voice as he drawled out his next words. "I didn't know we had a red ruffled apron."

"Naruto." He said warningly.

"Maybe I should take a picture for posterity." A chopstick flew at him and its partner followed soon after. He ducked just in time. "Such a temper, Sasuke-kun."

"Don't 'Sasuke-kun' me. I should starve your sorry ass, you ungrateful bastard." The brunette grumbled, only slightly placated by the yelp as a chopstick rebounded off the wall and hit his tormentor on the ear.

"Harsh words so early in the morning." He heard the refrigerator open and the sound of liquid disappearing down Naruto's throat.

"Don't drink out of the carton."

"Are you a stick-in-the-mud for a reason or do you just like telling people what to do?" The blond said cheerily, grabbing a glass from the cupboard.

"Hn."

The glass made a hollow thud as it was placed in the sink. The jounin hid a smile as he saw the sandwiches sitting innocently in their plastic bag and slipped it into one of his pockets, along with a small thermos. His long, dark green-covered arms slid around his still pajama-clad lover, giving him an impromptu hug and a brief sweet kiss on the cheek before he stepped back. It was for him as much as it was for Sasuke. The feel of the soft skin against his lips would have to sustain him until later.

"I'm going ahead. I've got guard duty on the north gate." Sasuke nodded without looking at him, a faint flush gracing his pale cheeks. "I'll see you in the office."

- - - - - -

The brunette stared unseeingly at the report, his right hand moving in slow, sure strokes over a blank piece of paper.

"That's really pretty, Uchiha-san."

His dark eyes suddenly focused and he blinked half-formed dreams away. The speaker was one of the new interns and his assistant secretary, a shy, soft-spoken girl named Yukihiko. He saw her enthralled face and looked down at his doodle.

It was a sketch of a sleeping nine-tailed fox, one tail curled over it's nose, one draped cutely between its ears and the others spread haphazardly over its back and on the floor before it. Every detail was perfect: the shading, the pattern of the fur, the soft blurring of lines to make it dreamy, the content expression on the inert face. Even though it was clearly an animal, there was something familiar about it. Doodle was the wrong word. It was a masterpiece rendered in pencil.

He sighed and dropped it in a drawer full of others just like it. "Did you want something?"

"Uh, yes. Hokage-sama says the meeting will be moved up to three this afternoon, so you are required to bring the mission files for last week and Saturday, and will you please tell Gaara-san that he's not allowed to bring in Hyuuga-san for _any _reason, then you conference with the other ANBU captains will take place at six instead of five-thirty to accommodate Hinata-san's check-up, she says not to worry, it's just the baby kicking a little too hard, and Umino-san says to remind you about your live demonstration at the Academy on Wednesday and his dinner on Thursday, and the salad you offered would be a great help," The girl paused to take a deep breath and delved into her pockets. "And Naruto says to give you this."

He took the proffered piece of paper. "'Naruto', huh?" Everyone knew the blond so well, they were on a first name basis, and he'd bet the blond knew just a little bit of everything about everybody.

The young chuunin began to stammer in the face of his blank stare. "Ah…I m-meant--"

"It's fine," he said, waving off the apology. "Thank you very much."

He waited until she had gone, and then, looking furtively around him, he unfolded the letter.

_I'm looking at the sky. Can you see it from the window? If you do it too, it'll be like we're looking at it together._

_Can't wait to see your smile._

_See you at lunch._

He could feel his face turning to mush and bit his lip to keep from smiling. Berating himself for being such a gullible sap even after he'd received similar letters from the blond before, he nevertheless painstakingly re-folded the paper, smoothing out the creases before tucking it safely away. 

Then he looked out the window.

- - - - -

"There you are!"

The brunette finished opening the last bento box and turned his eyes to the approaching blur.

_Oh no._

"Naruto, sto--"

There was a flurry of limbs as he nearly escaped being borne to the ground, and he was engulfed in a warm hug from a blond hurricane. "Sasuke! I missed you!"

"Get _off_ me, you!"

The ecstatic jounin rubbed his face into the crook of his lover's neck. "You say that, but you're hugging me just as tight."

He growled into the golden hair. "Only because I don' want to fall into the food that I 'slaved over a hot stove' to make." He heard the snicker muffled by his skin and scowled even more in defiance of all the fluffiness, but his fingers gently brushed over the nape of his partner's neck.

He felt the kiss start somewhere along his throat and continue up the side of his neck to behind his ear. "You smell so good," came the soft sigh. "You always smell so good…I don't know how you manage it."

The brunette, enticed by the mumbled words, breathed in Naruto's scent. It was a deep, profound smell, slightly of apples and warm chocolate, not a trace of sweat, it was mostly _Naruto_, and it flipped on a switch deep inside him, filling him with a sense of indefinable longing. It as the same smell he was engulfed in every night; it was branded into every pillow they owned, into the very bed, and every time his lover wasn't there to hold him, he'd bury his nose into one and imagine the smiling vulpine face, the feel of strong fingers stroking along his skin, a hard body against his…

Naruto's lips met his and he opened them invitingly, suddenly wanting to feel closer to this gentle, beautiful creature. A warm tongue slid into his mouth and his own met it, his grip around the broad shoulders tightening. A hand tugged up the back of his shirt and slid greedily over his skin. He felt the blond lean back against the wall behind them, opening up his body to his lover's hungry touch.

They parted reluctantly and Sasuke rested his forehead against the warm cement, breathing heavily.

It was a few minutes until he spoke, and even then, he wasn't sure whether his voice was shaky or not. "Get off me."

"You're the one sitting on me, Mr. ANBU captain." The blond said, his breath puffing against his neck, smiling a trifle smugly.

The bastard knew what happened every time he kissed him. Willing his muscles to move, he stood up sluggishly, ignoring the whine, then he pushed the legs apart and sat back down, his back against the blond's front. H e felt the content happiness radiating from the body next to his. Naruto seemed unable to keep from touching him, reaching out for him at every opportunity, and to tell the truth, he felt the same way, needing the comfort a single loving touch could convey. It'd make a power-hungry psychopath with a snake fetish to make him admit it though, and maybe not even then.

- - - - - - - Author's Notes- - - - - - -

Next is the bit about them having lunch, which I have to straighten out a bit first, but I just wanted to post this so I could see how you guys would react to it. Suggestions to make it more believable are welcome. And however I portray him, Naruto is _not_ a sex hungry maniac after Sasuke's delectable ass, and neither is Neji after Gaara's.

They're only like that sometimes.

Believe it or not, I actually like Orochimaru.


	6. Tattoo

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

For the first time, the disclaimer comes before the useless bit of babble.

This is early in their relationship. Poor Naruto is still insecure about his position in Sasuke's life. Sasuke, as is damnably obvious from his personality, is certain about his feelings, so certain that he's gotten a…

Tattoo

- - -

"Hey…" a soft voice murmured, one quiet night.

"Mmm?"

The blond rose a little, watching his fingers trail over the silky, white skin. It was smooth, soft but firm, all the muscles trained to perfection. Absolute perfection. Except for…

"What's this?" he asked, brushing repeatedly across a wide black band on his lover's chest. It spanned the distance from mid-chest to just around his side, his right nipple seemingly lost in a sea of black. His fingers gravitated around it in an ever-constricting circle.

The brunette tilted his head to watch him. "A tattoo."

"Like Gaara?" he murmured against the mark, struck by a desire to get it off. Black tongues of fire branded on the otherwise flawless skin…it was too much like the curse seal, too much like Orochimaru's taint. He didn't want it anywhere near his Prince. He nuzzled the pink bud to life and looked at it thoughtfully. "Why?"

"So I wouldn't forget." He sighed as the expectant look was transferred from his flesh to his eyes. "It's a long story and it's too bothersome to tell. Let's just go to sleep."

"I want to know." The blond said stubbornly, pushing the hand off his partner's eyes. "Tell me."

"You never asked before."

"I wasn't interested before. Now I am, so tell me." He pushed himself off the bed, angling his body over his lover's, and frowned when the brunette put his arm over his eyes again. He latched his mouth onto the tattoo-bordered nipple, intent on having his way.

"You dobe." Sasuke grumbled, pushing back the golden fringe to look into determined crystal-blue eyes.

His lover gave him a familiar smirk and rolled the captive nub between his teeth, a move he knew would get him anything. It was unfair to pull out the big guns so early in the game, but he was always prepared to play dirty, especially if it was Sasuke. The hand still in his hair fisted as the brunette moaned throatily.

"F-fine!" He gasped out. The blond smirked again and detached himself after one last suck, and he threw him a very half-hearted glare. "Manipulative bastard."

"I always get what I want." The smaller one said triumphantly.

"Ha." But he couldn't get angry. The small hand was still spread on his chest and his folded around it, holding it instinctively, and sappily, over his heart, right in the middle of the mark. "I got it when I got back from Sound."

"Why?"

"I wanted to." He got a pout, and he knew Naruto didn't believe him, but he also knew the blond wouldn't press him if he really didn't want to answer.

"Did it hurt?"

He nodded. Despite everything, the blond was the over-protective one. "The first time."

"The first…you have more?"

The brunette turned on his side in answer, facing away from him. He felt the fingertips trace the figure and smiled. He knew it by heart. After all, he'd drawn the design himself.

"She's beautiful…"

He smiled again, the action hidden by the pillow. "Is he?"

He? The blond wondered. Impossible. The angel was ethereal, but unbelievably sexy at the same time. She was standing sideways, with her back turned to the viewer, her long legs encased in white thigh-high boots. White was the ongoing theme. She was wearing miniscule shorts, white, and a tight tank top that ended just below her shoulder blades. The extremely detailed wings burst out of her back, spread wide, as long as she was tall. Her long golden hair was blown by an unseen breeze, and she was peeking over her shoulder. As a finishing touch, a blood-red ribbon wound around her body, one end snaking around her right leg, and the other around her extended left arm. She was as perfect and as untouchable as Sasuke.

"Who is she?"

"He." corrected the brunette, still on his side. "Someone I think about all the time. I think of him as my guardian angel."

The blond swallowed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Now he knew why Sasuke always wanted the lights off when they had sex. It was so he wouldn't see this other love of his life. He felt like someone had grabbed a hold of his throat and was squeezing slowly. But now that he'd seen, he had to know. He _had_ to know, even though it would kill him. "Who…"

"Why don't you take another look?"

He looked back at the tattoo unwillingly. Perfect form, otherworldly glamour, an unparalleled beauty, and most definitely a she. How could he compare to this? He gulped and peered closer. Maybe there was some identifying mark, or a puzzle of some sort, like it was written into the pattern of her feathers or something. Then his eyes caught something and he couldn't believe it, something other than blood red, golden yellow and stark white, something he saw in the mirror everyday, the color of the endless sea and sky, an unbelievably, impossible, unnatural shade of blue.

"That…that's _me_…" he whispered in shock, his own blue eyes wide.

"Really?" his lover said, turning over once again, the angel disappearing under the bed sheets. "What makes you think that?"

"Her eyes…_his_ eyes…they're like mine…why?"

"Possibly because every time that guardian angel looks over my shoulder, all he sees is you…maybe he's always been looking at you and you've never even noticed," he said, looking firmly at the ceiling.

"Always looking at me…"

"You wanted to know why I got a tattoo. Both times it was because I was filled with an emotion that was too big to express, and I couldn't get rid of it. I got used to bottling it up all the time, and when I wanted to let it out, I couldn't. But pain I could deal with, so I had them do this, and it felt easier when I was done, like I had put my emotions outside me, and even if anyone saw, it wouldn't matter because only I know what they mean. It's like a promise to myself, something I'm reminded of every time in the mirror. Everywhere I go, I feel it, because I remember the pain, and the reason why I had that pain in the first place. I always want to feel it, because it means I'm alive, it means I have something to fall back on. Even if it's just pain, I'll carry it with me forever, just the pain and the memories I'll make."

He cleared his throat, and it sounded abnormally loud in the silence. "I always want to carry a piece of you with me, Naruto, anywhere I go."

He felt the bed shift, and then a warm body was pressed against him, the scent of apples invaded his nose, and a small hand was placed on his chest. "Sasuke…if it's just pain…than I must have you tattooed in my heart…"

- - - -

The next night, the brunette came home only to be treated to an almighty slap and the sight of a radiantly furious, and incidentally shirtless, Naruto.

"What the--"

"You bastard! You didn't tell me how much it hurt!"

"What are you talking about?"

"This!"

It was an angel, all in black. It stood arrogantly, facing the viewer with an arm in its back pocket, the black-feathered wings half-closed. The unbuttoned pants were tight-fitting leather, molded to muscled legs and ending in combat boots with the laces half undone. The calf-length trench coat, also leather, hung open, exposing acres of bronzed chest and toned stomach. The red ribbon was there as well, twining around his left leg and around his right arm, also quite seductively held in his fanged mouth. It was blatantly male. There was possibly no way in hell that it could be mistaken for a woman. It was also obviously Sasuke.

"It hurt like a son of a three-ton cow! You have no idea how embarrassing it is to cry in the middle of a body-piercing shop!"

The brunette snickered as he turned around, and before he got another slap, drew the blond in gently by the hips and kissed him. And then kissed him again, and again, until he forgot all about it.

Later, when the night was quiet once more, he whispered into the sleeping blond's hair.

"You really are such a dobe."

- - - Author's Notes - - -

Naruto can't cuss to save his life. (snicker)

It'd be so cool if someone drew Naruto the Guardian Angel…and Sasuke the Avenging Angel, if you want, bound together by the red ribbon of fate (is a shameless sap).

You know the kind of stories that, after you read them, you go around and then you see something and you remember the story and squee? I wanted to make a light fic like that about tattoos, but as always, it didn't turn out as I wanted and became angsty and argh. I don't know if Sasuke's explanation made any sense. Someone tell me if it did. I've never gotten a tattoo, and I'm too wimpy to try it (that alone should tell you all that I'm a girl). And I don't know whether there are really such detailed tattoos around…

I wanted to make an impression, dammit!


	7. Fireworks

Hey there guys… you miss me? I had to spend a little time in the province with my family, and you wouldn't believe how many freak ideas I got. And bruises too. My Uncle Al says I bruise like a peach. He should know, he did it. Now everyone's looking at me like I was the victim of sexual assault. As if.

I got a million ideas, but I never got around to writing them until I got back to the city. Curses.

Anyway, I'm babbling again…

Here you go. Hope you haven't left me by now.

Fireworks

"God, Naruto, would you slow down?"

It was festival time in Konoha, the annual celebration of the harvest and the last hurrah before the winter snow. This year's festival had a circus troupe, and there were supposed to be fireworks as well, so even though the sunset was painting it's red colors over the sky, people were still crowding in the streets. That meant children. Children made noise, especially if equipped with sparklers, drums, whistles and all the other paraphernalia that doting parents bought their offspring at times like this.

It was getting on Sasuke's nerves.

And that wasn't all. He usually stayed in this time of year. He had better sense than to come out here, into the ever-moving river of sticky, sweaty, irritating people. Or at least, he thought he did. But all it took for him to leave his safe, tranquil sanctuary was a pair of pleading blue eyes.

He really should have known better, He had been dragged from one end of the fair to the other and back again, and pressed into getting on every cursed ride, most of them heart-pounding, intestine-twisting, vomit-inducing roller coasters. Every kind of food stall they passed was left significantly richer. They had met their match in the blue eyes, and Sasuke kept getting weighed down with free stuff. But it never really mattered how much they gave anyway, since the big blue eyes had a big mouth to boot.

"Naruto, slow down!"

The blond tugged at his arm impatiently. "But there's so much to see!"

"We've already seen everything." The put-upon ANBU said, struggling against the vice-like grip.

He was treated to a superior glare, like he was a bug stupid enough to smear itself all over an incoming windshield. "Then there's so much to see _again_."

"Usuratonkachi." He grumbled hitting the blond head.

"Sasuke-bastard." The smaller shinobi said automatically. "Besides, there's fireworks tonight. Don't you want to see them?"

"You can't see the rooftops for all the streamers, and everyone is going to the river to watch it. We won't get close enough."

"Yes, we will." The blond flashed his trademark grin and puffed out his chest. "Just leave it to me."

Sasuke took one look at him and did a swift about-turn. "I'm leaving."

"No! Wait a second!"

"I'm not staying for any hare-brained scheme that you've hatched up in that moron brain of yours."

"I wasn't planning anything!" wailed the blond, chasing after him and tugging again on his arm.

"Liar."

"I wasn't, honestly!" Sensing that his partner wouldn't change his mind, he decided to pull out all the stops. Clinging desperately to the immovable arm, he turned his face up to the impassive one, widened his tearful eyes and _sniffled_. "Please don't go…"

_C-cute_.

It was like an adorable puppy staring helplessly at you through the window of a pet shop. It was impossible not to give it what it wanted. Anything less than absolute compliance was downright inhuman. Such was the power of the blue eyes.

"Fine, fine. Just stop looking at me like that, and tell me we aren't on the damn rides all over again."

The blond beamed and the tears disappeared like magic. "Sure. But you have to promise to buy me five things from the fair."

"One."

"Three."

"Two."

"Okay." Looking quickly around them for prying eyes, Naruto stood on tiptoe to brush his lips against his lover's to seal the promise. "Deal."

The brunette blinked and looked down at the pleased face. Teasingly, he bent down to press his own kiss to the blond's lips. "Deal. What do you want?"

"You." The jounin said, a semi-serious expression on his face.

"Not yet." A rare smile graced the pale pink lips. "Maybe later."

Naruto's expression melted away into a dazzling smile. He turned away and, grabbing his lover's arm, dived back into the throng. Sasuke had to go through another half-hour of people breaching his personal space before the blond decided on one gift: a pair of simple silver studs. It was another hour before he got the second gift: a set of beautifully crafted kunai. He nearly used them on the blond because of how expensive they were, but he decided that since he had promised to buy them, it was probably more prudent to leave his lover alive to use them.

Before he knew it they were out of the fair and walking away from the crowd. The sun had already set, leaving a dark sky filled with shining stars. They shone on the surface of the river, where the fireworks would be held and people were already gathering there. But they were heading away form it. Naruto was leading him down a path he'd never seen before, and they were getting farther and farther away.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a secret." The blond said, not pausing. There was barely a trail and still they were going deeper into the forest. Every once in a while, Naruto would stop and sniff the air, then he would continue, like he was following a path only he could see. In the darkness, the gleam of his eyes were as bright as the moon and Sasuke could see the hint of fang indenting the full lower lip. The forest was Naruto's true home and he could see the pleasure in the vulpine face as the simple breeze caressed it, bringing all the scents of nature with it. He smiled and squeezed the captured hand in his own. He was the only person to see the blond this way, the only one trusted enough to be shown this true self.

They had stopped without him noticing, and now the subject of his thoughts was looking at him.

"Sasuke is smiling." The blond said, reaching out to cup his cheek while grinning. "Did I have anything to do with it?"

"Don't flatter yourself." He replied, turning slightly to kiss the warm palm before he scanned their surroundings. They were still in the forest, but in front of them rose a tower he had never seen before. It looked old but stable, even though it had been grown over by ivy. He tilted his head back to see to the top. It breached the forest canopy and stood a foot of two taller than the highest treetop. It would be perfect to see the fireworks from. "Where are we?"

"I'll tell you on the roof." The blond disappeared with a wink.

When he appeared, Naruto was already dragging a blanket out of his ever-present knapsack. He helped spread it out on the tiled, then took another blanket out to put around them. The blond sat back in his arms and leaned his head back against his shoulder.

"So where are we?"

"One of my hideouts." He could feel Sasuke's hand on the zipper of his jacket, pulling it down. "I wanted to show it to you."

"Hn." The dark-haired shinobi took off the black jacket and folded it away. "Why do you always wear this, dobe? It's too hot for it."

"You bought it for me. I like wearing it."

"Hn." He murmured again, feeling the downy strands of golden hair against his lips.

"I almost forgot the earrings." One tan hand dove into a pocket. Reverentially, he took them out of their packet and turned them over in his fingers. They were simple globes with a miniscule etching of a bird in flight on them. He took off his old hoops and put the new one in. Then he turned to his lover and slipped the other one into the unfilled piercing in the shell of his ear, up near the tip. "You look good with it on."

"You made me get it pierced." The brunette said, raising an eyebrow at the unexpected gift. He pulled Naruto closer to tongue the new earring.

"That tickles."

"Why did you give me your present?" he said softly.

"Don't be so surprised. You're getting half the kunai too. I could see the look in your eyes when I asked for them."

"Why?" he asked again. "You don't have to. I bought them for you."

"Because I want to share." The blond answered. He looked back at him and smiled. "I like sharing everything with you."

"Dobe." Sasuke brought their lips together for a slow, sweet kiss.

A far away boom signaled the end of the festival, and incidentally, the end of the kiss. They both looked up into the brilliantly lit sky. The sparkling colors rained down like shooting stars and crazy spirals danced through the sky.

"Close your mouth before you catch a fly. I assure you, it doesn't taste like ramen."

Naruto hit him playfully on the arm. "It's beautiful. I can't help but stare."

"Neither can I." He said, nuzzling the nape of his neck.

"You aren't looking."

"I wasn't talking about the fireworks."

The blond blushed. His hand found his lover's and held on tight. Amidst the pops and screams of the sizzling fireworks, he whispered, "Na, Sasuke…are you happy with this?"

"What's this?"

"This." His other hand folded over the one on his stomach and pressed down a little. "Us."

"Yes." The answer came without hesitation. "Why?"

"Nothing." A pair of soft lips brushed over his jaw. "I just wanted to ask."

"Hn. I've got a question too then."

"What is it?" The blue eyes looked up into his, lit by the myriad of colors gracing the sky.

"Do you think this'll last?" He kissed the turned-up nose and winked, the seriousness of the question diffused.

"Stupid Sasuke." Naruto said, turning back to look at the sky. "Of course it will. As long as the night and as bright as the fireworks."

"As bright as the fireworks, huh?" The brunette said, finally looking at the display. Rainbows of color splashed across their faces as the grand finale began. "That's as long as forever then."

"Yup. As long as forever."

- - - - Author's Notes - - - -

Was it angsty? Sorry…can't stop myself…I'm an angst-loving person. I love torturing people mentally. I need help, yeah?

To Alana-StarSugarCat and Illusions of a Fox, please, be my guests. Just promise me I get to see them, ok? Oh, and just some extra info: the reason the arms are extended are that when you put them together, they're actually holding hands. (Is a complete and utter sap)

Sorviball – no problem…just as long as I don't run out of ideas. And the tattoo is located on his back, same position as Sasuke's.

MultifacetedTune – so embarrassing…just after you said I was punctual…how many fics do I owe you guys by now? (still take the chocolates and eats them secretly, because she's been a good girl and posted, yes she has.) Anymore ideas for me?


	8. Cotton Candy

I can't believe it…a brown-out in the mall…that can only happen around here…cool experience…now on with the show…

People are still reading my fics! I love you all! Seriously! To all you guys, this piece of fluff is for you!

Cotton Candy

- - - - -

"I'm here!"

"You're late, Naruto." The brunette at the far end of the table said, head still bowed over a scroll. "You were supposed to be here two hours ago."

The bouncy jounin made his way over to his stoic lover, cautiously stepping over piles of scrolls and stacks of paper. "Sorry. The meeting ended later than usual. That baby's really giving Hinata some problems. She walks so funny."

A smile threatened to crack through the stone façade when a kiss was brushed across the ANBU captain's ear, but he wasn't an Uchiha for nothing. "All pregnant women walk that way."

The blond shrugged and filed the piece of information away, silently vowing to find something to help Hinata. She was a nice girl and didn't deserve to walk that way, even if she _was_ pregnant."The line at the store was super long too."

"The store?"

"I bought us something special to eat. I thought you'd like it."

The dark-haired shinobi pinched the bridge of his nose. He been looking through his references for almost four hours straight, and now the principal cause of his perpetual headaches was here, with 'something special'. He was almost too afraid to ask, but he did anyway. "What did you get?"

His lover flashed him the famously bright grin and started fishing around in his knapsack. With a flourish, he pulled out a plastic bag with some unidentifiable smudge of color bouncing around inside it. It sort of reminded him of a cloud…but no cloud was bright pink, right?

"Here you go!" Naruto said triumphantly, plopping it down on top of his opened scroll.

The brunette glared a hold though the imprisoned fluffy thing. "What is it?"

"Cotton candy."

"Uh _huh_." Without sparing it another glance, he pushed the bag off his scroll and scanned through it again. "Anything with the word 'candy' in it is not good, especially if you like it so much. I'll probably die from the sugar rush."

"Fine. I'll eat it." The smaller man grumbled, sitting himself on the table next to his lover's elbow. "See if I give you any."

Dark eyes lifted to the ceiling in the hope of finding some extra patience hidden deep within, and went back to his research.

The blond waited. Gradually, one arm slid around his waist to support his him. Chuckling to himself, he opened the bag. Sasuke was treated to the happy silence of the blond munching away on his sugar-laden treat. He leaned the top of his head against his lover's back and kept on reading, the movement his only concession to the exhaustion rolling through his body.

The silence didn't last long. It never did around Naruto.

"You trying to make me jealous?" he said in an amused tone, one eyebrow cocked at the insidious sounds of pleased purring filling the room.

"I can't help it." His lover said throatily. "It tastes so good."

"I bet."

"Really. You want some?"

The bag tilted towards him and he took a chunk of whatever it was. Thin filaments melted away under his warm touch and he wondered whether it would reach his mouth. Deciding not wait for it to ooze down his hand, he took a bite. And another. And another, until he was finished. Crystal-blue eyes looked into his knowingly.

"Liked it?"

He cleared his throat and licked his lips involuntarily. "It was good enough."

"You have some on your fingers."

Without breaking eye contact, Naruto grabbed his wrist. He slowly brought the slender sticky fingers to parted lips and slid one in. Sasuke heard the delighted moan and nearly laughed out loud at the sudden, yet completely expected rush of lust that went straight to his groin.

"Now I really am jealous."

The digit slipped free from the warm cavern as a hand around the nape of his neck pulled him closer. He felt the warm tongue lick over the seam of his lips and he opened them in invitation.

"Don't worry." His lover whispered softly as he melted into the drugging kiss. "You taste sweeter than any candy."

- - - - Author's Notes - - - -

That's one ending I'm pleased with. I suck at endings.

Finally, I end up with a short, quick big of fluff…good for me…

Won't be posting for a couple of days again, sorry…and the internet restrictions are hell where I'm going, so everyone just has to check at fanfiction . net


	9. Eyeglasses

Last one before I go off for the day.

Eyeglasses

"Do I really have to do this?"

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose with his forefinger, a familiar gesture of irritation. The blond thought he looked hot when he did it, but not even a red-hot poker could make him admit it out loud. "We can't afford to have a ninja who isn't at his best."

"But I'll look like a dork!"

"Your already look like a dork." He said firmly. "Now get in there. You're keeping the doctor waiting."

"But I don't _want_ to--"

The brunette glared at him. "Just do it."

Naruto stuck his tongue out childishly and walked into the walled off cubicle. His lover leaned nonchalantly against the door jamb, like it was normal for one of the village's elite shinobi to get fitted for corrective eyewear. Glasses! For him! Dammit! The bastard just stood there and watched as the doctor pulled down a weird metal contraption from the ceiling and gestured for him to sit down on a padded chair. He approached it cautiously. He'd heard stories about glasses. Huge thick lenses that made you look like some crazy bug, splintering glass getting into your eyes…

"Now, Uzumaki-san, this isn't going to hurt. I'm just going to put this over your eyes and you tell me when you can see out of those little holes, okay?"

"Um…okay…"

Sasuke smirked at him. "You look like a frog." He drawled.

"Shut up, horny octopus-pervert." The blond replied automatically.

The optician took the teasing in her stride and flipped on a switch. "Uzumaki-san, if you would read off that board the letters I'm going to point out?"

"E…K…H…M…uh, F?"

"Mhmm…" Something clicked and the blurred outline became sharper. "How about now?"

"Oh, it was E."

He read the rest perfectly.

"Now let's try the other eye…"

"Er…X…J…T…A…"

_Click._

"H, sorry…I…L…S…G…"

The click was lost when a lazy, arrogant voice said, "That's D for Dobe."

"Actually, Uchiha-san, that's an O." The doctor corrected, breaking the sudden silence. "You can stay for an examination too if you like."

Through his new lenses, the blond could see his lover turn green.

"Ah, I don't think so." He began backing out of the room. "You know what, I'll just wait outside…"

"No you don't, Sasuke." Naruto said gleefully, rubbing his hands together in relish, and looking very much like a strange bug at that very moment. "We can't have a ninja that's not at his best, remember? Dr. Minagawa, _Uchiha-san_ here will have an examination right after I'm done, if it's alright with you."

"Of course." The nice lady doctor said with a smile. "You _are_ all done, Uzumaki-san. All you have to do is pick a frame."

The now-cackling blond hopped off the chair and patted his lover on the shoulder as he passed. "Don't worry, Sasuke. You already look like a dork."

The ferocious glare was interrupted with a business-like clap. "Now Uchiha-san, if you would…"

- -

The otherwise perfect pride of the Uchiha family pushed his newly-acquired glasses up his nose and sighed. Beside him walked the #1 hyperactive ninja with his own oval-shaped glasses in his hands.

"You're supposed to wear them, dobe." The snow crunched under his feet and he pulled the coat tighter around himself. He never did like the cold.

"I don't want to." The blond put his hands behind his head and looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "At least _you_ look semi-interesting with yours on. I don't. The thin rectangle thing is really you."

His partner ran his fingertip over the top of his wire-rimmed glasses. "You should have picked a different frame then."

The smaller shinobi continued complaining. "And yours are just reading glasses too. I have to wear mind all the time."

"Then start wearing them."

"You look good with those on." Naruto said morosely.

"You'll look fine. You look great in anything." His partner mumbled, unlocking the door to their apartment and toeing his shoes off at the threshold.

The blond blinked. Sasuke was looking straight ahead like he hadn't just paid him a compliment. He hid a smile in the warm of his scarf and looked down at his glasses. Brushing the snow off daintily, he slid them onto his nose.

"How do I look?" he asked, cocking his head as he shed his coat.

"Like a professor." A cute professor, the kind no one can take their eyes off of. His rosy face was hidden between his trademark fluff of hair and the dove-gray scarf, and it was made even redder by his blush, throwing his whisker marks into relief. The rimless glasses rested nearly on the tip of his nose, not hiding the clear blue eyes.

The blond smiled and cupped his lover's face, drawing him closer. Hot breath washed over his pale cheeks and fogged up both their glasses. Their noses brushed gently against each other in Naruto's favorite kind of kiss.

"You know what?" he whispered softly. "I don't mind them so much anymore."

"Why not?" Sasuke murmured, rubbing his thumb over the whiskered cheek before they parted.

The blond pressed a soft kiss against his lips and drew back. Halfway up the stairs he turned and winked at him.

"I can see your smile better this way."

- - - - Author's Notes - - - -

Why does it always end in a kiss?


	10. Sleep

This is _my _last hurrah before my parents put me in lock-down for being a very bad girl. Kyan-kyan got kicked out of school _again_ for being a lazy blah. Be good, boys and girls, and don't grow up to be like me.

Ya'll know the disclaimer by now, right?

Sleep

- -

The moon's pale light lanced down the window of the study, its radiance brighter than the lone candle. The quietly seated figure was thankful for it, though the falling snow made its laced shadows known in the clear light. The occasional crackle of the fire and the steady _scritch_ of a pen on parchment were the only noises in the room. It was quiet. Too quiet.

It was broken by the opening creak of the door. The drowsy questioning mumble could barely be heard across the silence of the room.

"Come inside. You're letting the heat out."

There was a shuffle of padded slippers before the slowly moving silhouette stepped into the firelight. He looked like the child he never had the chance to become; soft, sleepy and uncertain in his dark blue, red spiral-patterned pajamas. His unbound hair was mussed and it still hung to his waist though it was pulled over one shoulder. In the light, his skin looked like molten gold, and it picked out the darker flecks of blue in his eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked, tapping his chin with his pen as he stared at his blurred writing.

"I can't get to sleep." Naruto mumbled again, rubbing his eyes. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"I'm still busy."

The blond shuffled behind his chair and put his cotton-clothed arms around his lover's neck. "Too busy to come to bed?"

"Yes."

You could hear the pout in his voice as he gently stroked his lover's chest. "Too busy to sleep?"

"Yes."

"Too busy to play with me?" came the low whisper. The blond buried his nose behind the seated one's ear with a half-smile, deeply breathing in his scent.

The brunette could feel himself smile at the strangely innocent-sounding question. He curled his fingers around a lock of golden hair and brought it to his lips, glorying in the comfort it brought him. "Yes, too busy to play, my fox."

"You're always so busy, Sasuke." grumbled the demon. "Busy, busy, busy. I'm surprised you don't take your paperwork to bed with us."

"I don't imagine you'd be very happy if I did that. As I recall, you always need my undivided attention." He answered with a smirk, still rubbing the silky strands against his lips as he wrote.

"I'm not very right now." The blond stated, nipping at his skin in a bid for some 'undivided attention'.

"Just go to bed."

The delicately rounded chin came to rest on his shoulder. "I can't sleep." Naruto smiled ruefully into his neck. "Not without you."

"Well I can't get it done any faster if you cling to me like that."

The pajama'd blond frowned and stepped away, shuffling around to the side of his desk where a small stool was placed. It was just the right size for him to slump in and still peer over the desk at his partner's steadily moving hand.

"Stop moping."

"I'm not moping." Again, the small hand reached out for him, twisting in the fabric of his ANBU uniform. The blond didn't even realize he'd done it. "I'm waiting for you to finish."

Out of the corner of his eye, he scanned his lover; the slightly flushed face from the nearby warmth of the fire, the drooping eyes and the incessantly worried lip. He was serious. He would wait up for how ever long it took for him to finish. And he could never finish now, knowing that Naruto was here, patiently waiting.

The brunette pushed the chair away from the desk with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He'd been doing that more often. He'd just slowly wear his nose away until he was left with a stump, all because of Naruto.

His lover looked at him inquiringly, still nibbling away on his lower lip. He opened his arms in invitation. "Come here already."

The blond snickered and went to him, settling himself on his lap. The arm closed around the small, lithe frame, one hand burying itself in the golden hair and the other moving to stroke his stomach. Naruto's arms slid happily around his neck and he brushed a kiss against the dark-haired temple. The hand in his blond hair pushed his head to rest on the broad shoulder and he obeyed, simply delighted to savor the security of his lover's touch.

"Go to sleep." The velvet-dark voice murmured against his hair. One could almost call his tone loving, but then, love wasn't part of the equation, was it? "You're with me now, my fox."

The blond understood completely and, with a smile, pressed a gentle kiss to his throat while snuggling deeper into the welcoming warmth. Finally, eyelids slid closed over tired eyes as the softly whispered his goodnight.

- - - -

_Whack!_

"Oww!" The rudely-awoken shinobi wailed. Rubbing his abused head, he focused on his lover's face, noting the eyes closed in frustration and the rapidly pulsing vein on his temple. "What'd you do _that_ for?"

"I couldn't finish my report because of you."

"What? But I stayed here all night."

"Exactly. _I_ feel asleep!"

The blond shot him an incredulous look, still not moving from his position. He liked cuddling in the morning, however whacked his partner's mood was. "How is that _my_ fault?"

The icy glare would have made the most courageous of men flinch. "You felt too good." He growled menacingly, his expression totally at odds with what he was saying. "You looked too cute. You smelled too _you_."

"Since when is that a crime?"

"Since it's you! You _know_ I like touching you! You know how relaxed I get whenever you're in my arms, especially at night! You did this on purpose!"

"'On purpose' nothing, you lazy pervert-bastard! _I_ came here because _you_ were too inconsiderate to come to bed and hold me! _You_ know I can't sleep without you!"

They were nose to nose now, electricity sparking between their eyes. The heat could have fried an ox.

"This is _your_ fault! Tsunade-sama will have my head if I don't have this report on her desk by today!"

"I hope the hag takes your balls with it too!" The jounin stood up in a huff and stormed towards the door. "_I_ an going to take a damn shower and _then_, I'm going to make breakfast, and if _you_ don't come down in _exactly_ thirty minutes, I'll damn well eat it all, you _asshole!_"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

The door slammed closed.

The door slammed again, flying open with such force that the knob took a sizable chunk out of the wall and imbedded itself there. The incandescent blond strode furiously to the still seated, still furious ANBU captain and then he brought their lips together in a bone-melting, open-mouthed kiss. Sasuke's fingers dug into his neck as he kissed back with equal fervor, his other hand fisting a handful of pajamas. Their tongues twisted together in a fiery dance, making the burning passion escalate even further. Naruto tore away just as it was reaching its peak and with one last glare, stomped back to the door.

"Good morning!" he yelled, yanking the door, and half of the wall that came with it, closed.

"Good morning!" the brunette shouted back, his pen digging grooves into the ancient wood of the desk. It was louder than roosters and more precise than clockwork. In another hour, a similar house-wracking fight would erupt from the apartment next door, and then the day would truly start for Konoha Village.

For a start, they would have to call the fire department.

- - - - Author's Notes - - - -

Is a freak on a deep level (grins at her private joke)

That hair of the shoulder thing is ala Konzen from Gensomaden Saiyuki. I luff teh Kenren…

I don't know if pajama'd is a word. You know, I could swear the spelling was pajyama, or something like that. I used to watch a really old cartoon where the magic word was pajyama. Maybe it's European?

If you guys haven't noticed, the apartment thing is still the same as in Cookies. They live right next door to Gaara and Neji. Can you imagine _that_ morning conversation?

"Hyuuga, get that ass out of bed! We're going to be late _again_!"

"You shut up. It's your fault for pouncing me the minute I got through the door, you horny raccoon! I can't _feel_ my ass!"


	11. Happy Families

(sneaks in quietly and posts)

My first ever chibi fic. I know that, technically, this kind of fic isn't allowed, but the whole cuteness of it would be ruined if I put it in a normal storyline. Hope you like it, Alana.

(wails) I can't post it on AFF!

Teh Neji Chibi lisps on his r's, not his l's. Gaara Chibi…gets jealous easily. Ought to bring up some cute scenes, ne?

- - - - - - - - - - -

Happy Families

- - - - - - - - - - -

Time: Irrelevant. Okay, maybe late afternoon.

ChibiNeji: Gaawa-chan! Lookie who I bwought to play wiv us! _(looks around as if for intruders in their happy place, - -because this is their special place and what he's gonna tell Gaara is special, and only Gaara is special enough to hear it- -then looks at his stoic playmate with a grin and whips out a very fat, stuffed bunny in shades of gray) _Mista' Hunnybunny!

ChibiGaara: _(blank stare at the bunny with a strange name)_ Gaara dun play with stuffed animals.

ChibiNeji: _(seemingly ignoring the lack of response…snuggles his chin onto the top of the bunny's head with his eyes closed)_ I love Mista' Hunnybunny lots. Coz Mista' Hunnybunny is so soft and cute…_(opens one eye to look at his playmate) _Kinda like Gaawa-chan.

ChibiGaara: _(inwardly melts at the look and blinks…looks doubtfully at the bunny then his friend's face, then back again…bites his lip hesitantly) _Gaara dun…dun play with stuffed animals…but…if _Neji_ wants…

ChibiNeji: _(he never doubted it…pounces on the redhead without actually pushing him over, both arms around his neck with the bunny held in one hand)_ Thankee Gaawa-chan! Now we can play the game!

ChibiGaara: _(suddenly on guard…he's had some experience with Neji's games and they all end up very embarrassing for him) _Wha' game?

ChibiNeji: _(lets go and clasps the bunny to his chest) _Happy Families!

ChibiGaara: _(falls to the ground with a _thump_, leg twitching and veins popping)_

ChibiNeji: _(continues without noticing, eyes closed in happiness, one arm cradling the bunny and a finger raised to point out the important bits of his one-sided conversation)_ I'm Mama, and Mista' Hunnybunny is Baby. Gaawa-chan will be the Papa. We gonna do all kindsa family things, like shoppin' 'n cookin' 'n singin' 'n…um…goin' ta bed togever.

ChibiGaara: _(was slowly recovering during the speech, but caught the last bit and fell over again)_

ChibiNeji: still_ ignoring the fact that his Gaawa obviously doesn't want to play this game…starts walking around, humming)_ Come on, Baby Hunnybunny. We is gonna go shoppin' now, and we need lotsa stuffs if we gonna be a family.

ChibiGaara: _(lies on his back for a minute, staring up at the ceiling…his thoughts going slowly but surely into place…he kind of liked being Family with Neji…but…his face sets and the determination is seen in his jutting lower lip, like a very persistent and loyal dog with one thing on his mind…walks after his playmate and trails behind him)_

ChibiNeji: _(is going around their playroom, picking up random toys and putting them into his pockets, talking to himself as he does so)_ This is juice…this is choc-mum…this is bikkits…this is milk for Baby…this is cu-wayons…this is… _(searches his mind for what he always hears when the family does out to shop)_…this is eggs…

ChibiGaara: _(surfaces from his plot-making)_ Eggs not go inna pockets.

ChibiNeji: Oh. _(nods at this wisdom and pulls out the colored block masquerading as his choice of market produce_) Gaawa-chan hold it, 'kay?

ChibiGaara: _(takes the block reverentially and thinks of an appropriate response_) Gaara will hold it…Neji-koibito.  
ChibiNeji: _(stops for a moment, filing the nickname away in his mind…gives his 'husband' a wooden horse) _Hold the jello too. _(picks up a doll)_ this is a…a…pwe-went-a-tive.

ChibiGaara: _(gets a little wrinkle on his forehead as he tries to process this bit of super cute chibiness)_ Wassa pwe-went-a-tive?

ChibiNeji: My bwo-bwo buys 'em sometimes…he calls 'em a…a…_(frowns at the doll as he tries to remember) _a ca-dum. It's wittle-itty-bitty balloons inna box, but my bwo-bwo not evew gimme one. He bad.

ChibiGaara: _(nods at this bit of information)_ If Gaara gets ca-dums, Gaara will give Neji one, if Neji wants.

ChibiNeji: _(smiles over his shoulder)_

After ten minutes of relative silence, while they shuffle around their playroom, Neji now has to hold up his pajamas with one hand. They go back to the nap portion of their playroom. Gaara, incidentally, is hidden under a towering pile of toys.

ChibiGaara: _(sweatdrops, his tiny arms straining from the weight _Is we there yet?

ChibiNeji: _(nods and sits down with an audible rattle(_ Yup, we is home. You put the stuffs down now. _(is finding it very troublesome to take out all of the things stuffed in his pockets, so he takes his pajamas off instead. Problem solved. His nightshirt takes care of the problem of decency, hanging well to his thighs (_

ChibiGaara: _(ignores the mini-strip show- -no pun intended- -…dropped the stuff in a pile and is now sorting them out…is now actually dedicated to being a good papa, whatever that means. Neji won't find any problem with _himWe got lotsa beanbags.

ChibiNeji: Them's bikkits, Gaawa-chan. _(crawls up on his hands and knees behind his playmate and puts his chin on the redhead's shoulder_) What we do now?

ChibiGaara: _(still in his best-papa-in-the-whole-world mode)_ Gaara cook, Neji gonna take care of Baby. Maybe take nap.

ChibiNeji: _(nods and yawns on cue, rubbing his cheek against his playmate's neck) _Nap good. _(thinks a minute then presses his lips to his partner's tanned cheek)_

ChibiGaara: _(blinks and turns to his friend)_ Why Neji chu Gaara?

ChibiNeji: That's what Mamas do to Papas because they luv them. _(nods sagely and kisses his partner's cheek again before crawling off and flopping on the pile of pillows that serve as their bed, cuddling Baby…the last thing he sees before he closes his eyes is Gaara sorting the beanbags by color) _

ChibiGaara: _(fiddles around with things as he waits…divides everything by color…green…blue…purple…red…stares at the red beanbag that Neji had one of his sisters make to look like a very pissed off version of his Gaawa-chan, then at the still form on the pillows…and the bunny…walks up and kneels beside Neji…carefully, very, very carefully, he raises the small arm and eases out the stuffed animal, putting the beanbag under the softly rounded chin instead…looks around, then puts the bunny under a pillow and strokes the fine black hair, not noticing the fact that he's left a long fluffy ear out for all and sundry to see)_

ChibiNeji: _(shifts in his sleep and mumbles softly_) Mmm…Gaawa-chan…

ChibiGaara: Gaara is here. _(lowers his face until it's just inches for the shell-like ear…whispers protectively) _Gaara always gonna be here, so it okay…

ChibiNeji: _(talking in a person's ear, however softly, will wake them up, especially when you're saying something you don't want them to hear….blinks and looks up into deeps pools of green…smiles and raises his head a little to rub his nose against his partner's) _Hi Gaawa-chan…

ChibiGaara: _(pulls away, a slight blush on his cheeks…tears away from the opal gaze and looks at the miniature beanbag mounds) _You only sleepded for five minutes.

ChibiNeji: it was a vewy westful five minutes. _(smiles)_ that what my mama always says. _(suddenly realizes the loss of bunny-ness in his arms and looks down at the small Pissed!Gaara-chan beanbag)_ Thif not my Mista' Hunnybunny_…(bestows a soft kiss on it all the same then looks at the redhead expectantly)_ Whew my Mista' Hunnybunny?

ChibiGaara: _(sets his face in grim determination to see this out and make his partner see it his way)_ He not here. No more Mista' Hunnybunny.

ChibiNeji: _(patiently looks at him)_ Why?

ChibiGaara: He growed up and he big now. No more need Mama and Papa. _(mentally pats himself on the back for thinking of this)_

ChibiNeji: _(as patient as ever)_ So we not have Baby?

ChibiGaara: _(as cheerful as he can get without smiling_) Nope, no more.

ChibiNeji: _(points at the floppy ear lying conspicuously on the ground) _What that then?

ChibiGaara: _(looks behind him and eeps…thinking quickly, he flops himself down over the ear)_ Nothing!

ChibiNeji: _(crawls over his friend's body…and suddenly he doesn't look so chibi, but more like a hungry sexual predator)_ Gaawa-chan bein' a bad boy, hidin' things fwom his Neji-chan.

ChibiGaara: _(eeping in his mind)_ Gaara not bad boy…nothing here…

ChibiNeji: _(pulls the pillow away, uncovering his prized bunny and looks triumphantly at the redhead, who, with a sour look, rolls over so Neji can get his bunny…gives Gaara another expectant look while cradling both bunny and beanbag in his arms…speaks in a Mama tone) _Gaawa-chan, asplain wyt_ now_.

ChibiGaara: _(sitting in a sort of defeated lump, looking away from his 'wife')_ Gaara not like Mista' Hunnybunny.

ChibiNeji: _(persistently) _Why?

ChibiGaara: _(his voice is now mumbling, like that of people very embarrassed to being admitting something)_ Gaara wanted to play with just Neji today, not with stuffed animal. Gaara want…Gaara want only Neji. _(softer mumble)_ But Neji only want play with Mista' Hunnybunny, not with Gaara…

ChibiNeji: _(blink…blink…blinkblinkblink…thoughts: so _cute_!…puts his bunny down, arranging the beanbag in the fluffy arms before crawling over to the redheaded lump and pushing the longish hair back to kiss his temple…smiles sweetly at the teary eyes and kisses his forehead)_

ChibiGaara: _(sniffling…mumbles in a small voice)_ Chu?

ChibiNeji: _(nods…pushes himself into his playmate's arms as the redhead unfolds and gently licks at the tear trails like the kitten he is)_ The Mama can't let the Papa cwy, wyt?

ChibiGaara: _(puts his arms around the tiny waist as he falls back against the pillows, carrying his armful of Neji with him)_ Gaara sorry he hidded your bunny. Not gonna do it again, promise.

ChibiNeji: _(shakes his head) _Want difwent pwomise fwom Gaawa-chan. Want…when we is bigger…we play Families again, 'n I be Gaawa-chan's wife for real. That gonna be a long time fwom now…you still gonna want Neji only?

ChibiGaara: _(nods fervently while playing with the long strands of ebony)_ Gaara always gonna want Neji, always, always. _(holds out his pinky)_ Pinky promise.

ChibiNeji: _(shakes his head(_ Not pinky pwomise. Difwent. _(gives the redhead a quick peck on the lips)_

ChibiGaara: _(blinks, surprised)_ You gave Gaara a different chu?

ChibiNeji: _(nods and tilts his face up) _Now you hafta kiss me too, and that means you is pwomising me.

ChibiGaara: _(blinks and slowly lowers his lips to the slightly parted ones(_ Gaara promises, he will marry Neji. _(kisses clumsily but sweetly, his hold firm on the long hair)_

ChibiNeji: _(rubs his partner's flawless skin with his knuckles after they part…smiles in his cutest way) _Gaawa-chan is now Gaawa-koibito, and I'm Neji-koibito, like you said while we was shoppin'.

ChibiGaara: _(agrees, nodding fiercely) _Gaara your koibito.

ChibiNeji: _(happy smile while snuggling deeper into his 'lover's' embrace)_ Na, Gaawa-chan, we still playin' Families.

ChibiGaara: _(now that the excitement is over and he's all contented with his own Hunnybunny in his arms, he feels sleepy) _We is?

ChibiNeji: Mhmm… we is officially Sleepin' Together.

- - - - Author's Notes - - - -

Anyone get reminded of 'When Sand Meets Snow'?

I dunno if you guys should be expecting anything from me soon. I have Writer's Blah. Sorry guys. I'll try and crawl out of it soon.


	12. Oatmeal

Yes, all, I know I posted this in another story. This is me just trying to put some order into my account. All the stories I can lump together, I do, and all those I've lost my touch for, then...it's toodles for that.

To those who haven't read this, I know Neji seems a bit more on his slutty-babe side, but it _is_ morning, and no one, not even the Hyuuga genius, has his facts on straight in the morning.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not, has never been, and will never be, mine. Pity.

Oatmeal

- - - - -

Neji stared sleepily at the bowl placed in front of him and blinked.

"What's this?" he asked the shirtless redhead sitting stoically beside him, eating his own bowl of…stuff.

"It's porridge." Gaara caught the distasteful look in his partner's eyes. "Eat it. It's good for you."

_Ah, the litany of mothers everywhere._ "It's _gray_. It looks like some cow's lunch. "

"It's 7 o' clock in the morning."

"Fine, it looks like some cow's breakfast then." The dark-haired shinobi let some drip from his spoon. It went _gloop_.

"Just eat it." Green eyes narrowed. Gaara had made sure he was the first one up, just so he could make breakfast. Since they'd been…busy during the weekend, they hadn't had time to shop, so all he had found was a half-full tin of oatmeal and some milk. He had distinctly remembered Temari making it for them, when she was too lazy to make anything else. He reasoned that since they were still alive and breathing, she might have been on to a good thing.

So he had spent…no, _endured_ twenty of the most boring minutes of his life trying to figure out whether it had reached the right lumpy, bumpy, goopy consistency, and another ten trying to figure out whether or not it had been a waste of time.

"It was all that was here. _You _forgot to shop." He said accusingly, trying to place the blame, but one look across the table made him stop.

His lover had a sleepy, pouty look on his face, cheeks still flushed even though he had woken up five minutes ago, his unbound hair spilling over his shoulder and contrasting with creamy white skin…

His long, long hair…hair that Gaara liked spread like a star over the pillows, or bound up tightly in his fist as he moved with his lover, _in_ his lover…_that_ hair, caressing the pale body of his snow angel, over the chest which contours he had explored with his tongue, over nipples that stood with the lightest brush of a fingertip, over a flat stomach that still bore bright red marks from last night.

On the outside, to people who didn't know him at all, the Hyuuga was a cold, calculating genius. In bed though, Neji was heated, insatiable, uninhibited, willing, wanting…he was absolutely, adorably, sexily _wild_.

He could feel the tips of his ears burn when he realized his hand was on his own naked torso and making its way even lower. This was no way for a shinobi to act. He wrestled with his ballooning libido and tore his eyes away from Neji's chest before he was caught.

Thankfully, the normally horny little kitten hadn't noticed. He was still scowling at his food.

"It looks _disgusting_." _When did I start becoming a whiny little brat?_ Neji thought to himself.

Gaara pasted a frown on his face and pushed his chair back, more to get away from temptation than to alleviate his lover's silly tantrum. _I will not push him down and take him on the floor, I will NOT…It's too damn early-Gods, it should be illegal to look like that...what the hell is he thinking, wearing those damn boxers? They're practically welded to his ass-Fuck, I want him…to hell with the morals. I'm going to rip those boxers off him and punish him till he cries out my name and then I will pound him into the damn floor and-_ The Sand-nin cleared his throat, and quickly backed into the kitchen, trying to keep his already hardened state from view. "I'll just…find you some fruit then."

Unaware of his partner's current state of mind, Neji chuckled and answered his own question. _Since he started taking care of me._

The opaque-eyed ninja leaned back, looking warily at the bowl of what-Gaara-thought-was-food. Anything that looked that icky was downright suspicious.

It looked _horrible_.

It was like some primordial soup gone wrong.

It was just plain icky. Ick, ick, ick, ick, _ick_.

Inner Neji laughed at his childish behavior. It was like having Naruto around, but this was him…a more playful, more trusting him.

It was fun, and it was all thanks to Gaara. His Gaara of the deep green eyes, and crimson hair, his demonic saviour, his Gaara that held him so tenderly and so carefully, and was jealous of everyone but his closest friends, his Gaara that only recently learned how to laugh from the heart, his beautiful, strong Gaara that moaned so lustfully every time he was touched, who took him with a passion that he had never felt before, who took him so hard and fast at times, and then slow and gentle the next, but always, _always_ with love in his eyes… His sexy, sexy Gaara…who was in the next room, half naked…

The Neji child was playful…but Inner Neji was horny. _Very, very horny. _He glanced at the bowl, mind already ticking. _And this is what he had to work with._

Gaara returned to the dining room, having finally tamed his arousal, bearing a plate of sliced strawberries and a pot of brown sugar.

His lover hungrily grabbed the pot and spooned half the contents into his bowl, then poured in the last drop of milk. He smooshed the sugary concoction around until it dissolved, then smooshed it around some more, reluctant to taste it.

The redhead eyed him, taking measured bites of strawberry goodness. The Hyuuga finally raised his spoon and delicately licked it. There was a purr of contentment.

Gaara couldn't help but watch that tongue swipe at the utensil, licking in short slow strokes and curling around the base to get at the lingering taste, then dipping back into the bowl to start the whole dance all over again.

Now he was alternating the short strokes with long licks.

Now he was taking the head of the spoon in his mouth and sucking at it loudly.

Now the head of the spoon was sliding in and out between those pouty, pink lips.

There was a low moan of ecstatic pleasure and the spoon continued its happy exploration of the paradise that was Neji's mouth.

By all the gods.

He was jealous of a damn _spoon_.

Amazing how a few spoonfuls of sugar and some milk can change a person's perspective. He took to the porridge pretty damn quickly after that.

A soft whine cut through Gaara's thoughts. His eyes looked up from their intense scrutiny of that sinful mouth, brows knitted in confusion.

Neji hid his satisfied smile. _Gotcha hook, line and sinker._ "It's cold!"

"Because you're eating it so slowly." Not that he was complaining or anything.

"But I want it warm." The snow angel whimpered, bottom lip jutting out. Gaara suddenly felt his boxers go very tight.

_Down, boy…_ "I'll warm it up then."

Neji stood up and practically pranced around the table, his half-full bowl in his hands. What happened next Gaara couldn't explain.

Neji seemed to trip, his hands flying forward for balance. Curiously enough, the contents of the bowl spilled all over Gaara but the bowl never hit him, and a few hours later, he found the bowl sitting innocently by his chair.

The usually agile Hyuuga had fallen just in front of him, between his open legs, wearing a contrite look. He sat up on his knees and placed his hands on the tanned hips, all the while looking up at his lover with big eyes. "I'm _so_ sorry, Gaara, I didn't mean to trip."

"It's alright." The redhead was nearly breathless at the proximity of his kitten. "I'll just go to the kitchen and-" He nearly bit his tongue off when he felt the rough tongue on his skin.

Neji, with eyes closed, was slowly, reverentially, cleaning off his chest, making sure every inch felt his tongue, his lips.

"What do you th-think you're d-doing?" Gaara stammered, fingers clenching involuntarily in his lover's hair.

His lover looked up and smiled at him, if you could call that slow, sensuous curl a smile. "Having my breakfast." He said, punctuating it with a long lick up the tanned abdomen.

"Off me?"

"Can you think of any better way to eat it? It's nice and warm now." Neji murmured, scooping some up on his fingers and offering it to him. "Do you want some?"

Gaara opened his mouth obediently. He knew better than to say no. Sucking on the proffered fingers thoughtfully, he wondered when his drowsy, angelic kitten had turned back into the wild and demanding lover.

All thoughts flew out of his head the minute Neji started moving his fingers, sliding them in and out of his mouth. Gaara's eyes flew open and green met white as the very horny angel continued his erotic parody.

He started to move downward, hands sliding over bronzed legs to part them further. He licked and sucked at his lover's bellybutton, nails raking across inner thighs and leaving angry red marks. Gaara uttered a loud cry, fingers so tightly clenched they were white.

_Gods, oh gods…what the hell is he-Fuck, that feels good...what the hell does he think he's doing? We have chores and missions and-ooooh, gods yeah, right there, right…shopping! Yeah, shopping, we need to shop, we need food, beer, candles, condoms…I meant toilet paper, lots and lots of toilet paper! Uh…oh fuck yeah…want more…need more…fuck, Neji…**Neji**_

"Neji!" he cried out, feeling hot breath wash over the head of his twitching cock.

The Hyuuga genius just purred and pressed his lips against the tip. His tongue darted out to swipe at the pre-cum already pearling on his prize and Gaara nearly choked on a scream.

Neji scooted up and pressed his body against his breathless demon, waiting until the other opened lust-glazed eyes. He dangled half strawberry in front of those eyes. "You like these, koi?"

Without waiting for an answer, Neji popped it into his mouth and pressed his lips against Gaara's, forcing it to open and thrusting the fruit in. They pushed it in and out of each other's mouths, sharing the sour sweetness, tongues tangling wildly and hands roaming. At least Gaara's were. His hands wandered aimlessly over his angel's back, neck and ass. Neji's, on the other hand, had a destination.

Gaara tore his mouth away from his lover's, head arching back, mouth open in a silent scream as he felt one hand stroke him firmly and two pre-cum soaked fingers slide into him.

This was going to be _some_ day.


	13. Picnic

Uchiha Sasuke did not like going outside.

Nature was unnatural. It was irregular, and made no sense. He tolerated it for the sake of missions and training, but otherwise, 'outside' was a dirty, dusty, unrefined germ paradise.

It was no surprise that Naruto loved it, because Naruto himself was irregular and made no sense.

"I have work to do. I will not waste my time on one of your pointless whims."

"Sasuke." The tree-hugging fox boy whined. "Come _on_. You can't lock yourself in your library forever."

"I beg to differ."

Naruto scowled at the unresponsive oak that, despite all his piteous whingeing, remained obstinately shut. His hand had already curled into a fist, itching to pound the too-pale skin of his very best (but most annoying) friend. "I know you haven't eaten yet." He continued as nicely as he could, for once not wanting to get into a fight. _Not after spending two freaking hours making fiddly damn onigiri and sandwiches for this freaking ungrateful bas- _"Iruka-sensei says getting some sun is good for you. Gives you...um, vitamin...S, I think."

"Vitamin D, which means for dodo-brains like you, dobe."

"I'm not a dodo-brain! _And don't call me a dobe_!"

"Che."

The blond stomped childishly and started to bang on the door. "Come out!"

"No."

_I sure as hell didn't waste two hours for nothing. _"Sasuke, you come out or I'll haul you out, no matter what it takes!"

"You and what army, _dobe_?"

Fifteen minutes found Sasuke sitting on the grass outside his house, not-quite-pouting around a mouthful of egg and watercress. Behind him, chattering blond clones were bustling around his house. Half were sweeping out a smouldering pile of leaves and newspapers and the other half were opening windows to let the smoke out.

"I can't believe you smoked me out of my own house. You know I'll kill you for that later."

The real Naruto, sprawled bonelessly next to him, cracked open a sky-blue eye and gave him an eerily familiar smirk. "Sure you will."

Sasuke's pride prevented him from exacting his revenge right then, because showing any sign of angerfrustrationresentment would also be a sign of weakness, because then Naruto would know that he was able to bring out the angerfrustrationresentment, and that was a bad thing.

Because.

"Frowning at my onigiri won't make it taste any better." His best friend piped up, noticing that his hooded eyes were burning a hole right through the center of the rice ball.

Sasuke sniffed disparagingly and bit off a corner. He could almost see Naruto's ears twitch, anticipating his reaction. Ah. The silly blond must have worked hard on this 'picnic' to be so concerned over what he thought. He had even made onigiri, which Sasuke knew he hated.

Even though he was an impudent, loudmouthed, no-respect-at-all-for-other-people's-privacy dodo brain who had just tried to suffocate him in his own library, Naruto truly cared about other people, and it warmed a little part of him that had no business being warm. Sasuke swallowed his mouthful and took another bite, chewing slowly this time. He could see the expectation on the tan whiskered face turning into a look of irritation as he drew out the moment.

Naruto snapped first, as expected.

"Shit in a tin, would you just swallow? I didn't _poison_ it, ya know."

The brunette allowed himself to smirk at this minor victory and downed the thoroughly masticated mouthful.

Naruto went from mad to glad in half a second. "Well? Didja like it?"

"It's lumpy and uneven in shape, the rice is too wet and there's too much filling." He said. "But it's good enough."

Naruto looked cute when he was sad. Sasuke secretly liked making him sad and he pounced on every opportunity, just so he could see that face. But today the breeze was fresh and the clones were relatively quiet, and it wasn't a time for sadness of any kind, no matter how cute it was. He reached over to smooth a few strands of wayward hair behind the blond's ear.

"You're noisy and you wear orange and are absolutely vulgar. But you're good enough."

And as he drew his hand back, his fingers brushed ever so gently against the soft whiskered cheek in a tender caress.

Uchiha Sasuke did not like going outside.

But maybe sometimes, when the sun was shining and he had gold on his lap, it was good enough.


	14. Piercing

This is dedicated to all the fans I had four years ago :) I know, I'm a total bitch for leaving y'all hanging, right? No fear, I hope to be more awesome this time around.

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-*Piercing*-

"I'd look damn hot with a tongue ring, don't you think?"

The newspaper lowered just enough to shoot sparks over the table. "Can you stop making statements like that during breakfast? It ruins my day."

Naruto cheerfully ignored his Death Glare, one hand waving around a glossy magazine. The old Naruto wouldn't have been caught dead in the presence of any recreational reading, and to remedy that, Sasuke had gotten him a subscription from the local bookstore. Sadly, as with everything he tried to do to make the dobe a well-rounded, functioning member of normal society, it had backfired spectacularly.

"See, it says here that piercings can enhance your image."

"You don't have an image," Sasuke grumbled into his mug. "You're an idiot. Aren't you afraid of needles?"

"I got a tattoo, didn't I?" The blond pouted.

Disgruntled as he was, the newly-instated ANBU captain was sorely tempted to kiss it away. "And you cried for _ages_ about it, like a little baby." Sasuke fended off the breakfast knife with his, grasping the delicate wrist in a vice-like grip before hauling his fuming lover into his lap. He couldn't stop himself from kissing the frown lines forming on the previously smooth forehead. "You're just a big wimp, dobe. Admit it."

Naruto punched him in the chest, albeit half-heartedly. The warmth of the arms around him was the perfect antidote to a chilly morning. "Just because I'm smaller...Damn bastard, I'll show you."

The sound of the derisive snort was muffled in his hair. "Yeah right. Good luck with that."

.

-And so…-

.

"Maybe I shouldn't. Is it too late to back out?"

Naruto had brought the magazine with him, in hopes that it could bolster his resolve. Tanned hands captured his, preventing him from strangling it into paper mache.

"After talking me into a tattoo, you're going to wimp out? How…un-Naruto of you."

The blond glared fiercely at his companion, the ire from Sasuke's use of the word still prickling at him. "Shut up. I'm not a wimp."

Gaara rolled his eyes, absently wondering how his normal day had turned upside-down. There certainly had been no warning from the universe. After kissing his lover goodbye, he had a long afternoon of dealing with the Bane that hounded all government officials. He hadn't seen the surface of his desk in days, and more paperwork arrived every day. He had definitely not planned into going to a body art shop today, or any other day for that matter, but Naruto had stomped into his apartment, radiating righteous anger and prattling on a mile a minute. Somehow or other, the blond had convinced him to go for a walk, and somewhere along the way, he had agreed to a full back tattoo.

A hyperactive blond was _not_ someone to be taken lightly.

"Besides," his best friend was saying. "You've already got a tattoo. You don't want another one, do ya? "

Reflexively, his fingers brushed over the kanji on his forehead. "I quite like the idea of having more than one color in an art form. There is no point in inking everything with blood."

Naruto wrinkled his nose at the mental image. _Eww_. "So, you're definitely going to do it?"

To answer him, Gaara passed over one of the artbooks he had been looking over. It was opened to a picture of a lion-maned dragon, all proud shades of blue, green and yellow. It held the world protectively under its claws, while behind it was an imposing background mostly made out of skulls, tombstones and, for some unidentifiable reason, ribbons. Off to the side, which he assumed would be put on one of his arms, was a great phoenix.

"Wow," was all Naruto could say. Though he wouldn't admit it, he felt a _little_ like a wimp. The tattoo he had gotten had been detailed enough to take at least five hours in the chair, and it had hurt like a son of a bat. He couldn't imagine how long this particular picture would have to take. And here he was, scared of a little needle through his tongue.

"Will it make you feel better if I tell you the Hyuuga had his tongue pierced a few days ago?"

To say that the world screeched to a halt would be an understatement. Shocked blue eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "Are you _serious_? What the-When the-"

"He read something about it being effectively titillating during sex. In that same magazine, now that I come to think of it-"

The rest of Gaara's words were drowned out as his friend practically ripped the magazine open, frantically searching for the same article. A sentence caught his eye and reeled him back, his mouth a perfect O on his awestruck face. When he had read it ten times over, it dropped from his nerveless fingers, leaving him looking at nothing in particular while his eyes shone with hero-worshipping admiration.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

"Just tell me one thing. Is it true?"

The smug smirk told him all he needed to know.

.

-And so…-

.

Sasuke pushed the door open with a weary sigh. Damn paperwork. He was looking forward to a long bath and a nice cuddle, Avenger status be damned, He just hoped Naruto was as tired as he was, because there was no way in hell sex was happening tonight.

"Hey Sasuke!" A chipper-than-usual voice came through the open door of their bedroom. "Come here a second. I want to show you something."

The next day, a displeased Gaara signed off on a package that held nearly triple the amount of usual paperwork. It wasn't till his fourth paper cut that he remembered that the shinobi in charge of administrative work relating to Suna was one Uchiha Sasuke.

.

-*End*-

.

That was good for my first-in-four-years drabble, don't you think? Tell me your thoughts, and I might just write something for you.


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